Blackhawks end homestand against Islanders

Hockey Betting Lines

03/15/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Blackhawks will try to wrap a four-game homestand on a positive note in an afternoon battle with the New York Islanders at the United Center.

Chicago has lost two of three so far on the stand, getting blown out by Colorado, 5-1, last Sunday before rebounding with a shootout win over Carolina three days later.

However, the Blackhawks were dealt a 5-3 setback by Columbus on Friday to lose for the third time in four games overall. Brent Seabrook and Kris Versteeg each had a goal and an assist in the setback for Chicago. Versteeg has now scored in three of his last four games and leads all rookie skaters with 29 assists and 48 points.

Cristobal Huet was charged with four goals on 21 shots in the loss and he has yielded at least four goals in four of his last six starts (2-3-0). That could lead Chicago to start Nikolai Khabibulin, who was activated from injured reserve on Wednesday from a groin injury and hasn't played since February 11.

Khabibulin is 17-5-5 on the season but is just 5-9-0 with a 3.87 goals against average lifetime versus the Islanders. Huet, meanwhile, is 6-2-0 with a tie and 1.78 GAA against them.

Chicago, which is 18-7-6 at home this year, is fourth overall in the Western Conference, four points ahead of Vancouver.

The Blackhawks will be aiming to end a four-game skid to the Islanders today. They haven't beaten the club since a 3-2 win in New York on December 10, 2002. New York's 2-1 overtime win on January 17, 2006 was its second straight victory in the Windy City after going winless in 11 trips there.

Chicago will face a New York squad today that was cooled off a bit by Eastern Conference-leading Boston on Saturday. The Islanders had won five of their last seven heading into that contest, but were dealt a 2-1 setback.

Mark Streit scored the lone goal for the Islanders and Yann Danis stopped 23 shots in defeat. Blake Comeau had a six-game point streak come to an end in the loss.

The Islanders are now at the halfway mark of their six-game road trip and are 1-1-1 thus far on the trek. New York still has visits to Carolina and Ottawa left on the swing and is just 7-24-3 overall on the road this season.

The Isles are last in the NHL with 54 points.

Wwwsportsbetting Hockey Betting News

<< Kessel, Bruins visit Penguins
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phil Kessel will try to spark the Boston Bruins to a third straight win this afternoon in a battle with the Pittsburgh Penguins at Mellon Arena. Boston has won two straight following a 1-4-1 stretch in large part to Kesse

<< Flyers go for sweep of home-and-home set with Rangers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There isn't a large amount of separation in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, but the Flyers would love to improve their standing with another win over the rival Rangers. Philadelphia will try to post a sweep of its

<< Lumberjacks and Roadrunners clash for Southland supremacy
Katy, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stephen F. Austin is one step away from punching its ticket to the Big Dance, but first the top-seeded Lumberjacks will have to get past the sixth-seeded Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners in the title matchup of the Sout

<< Duke meets Florida State for ACC crown
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The ninth-ranked Duke Blue Devils go for their record-tying 17th ACC Tournament title today, as they take on the 22nd-ranked Florida State Seminoles in the championship game at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The

<< Buckeyes battle Boilermakers for Big Ten title
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With the top two seeds in the Big Ten Conference Tournament being sent home on Saturday afternoon, that leaves the Ohio State Buckeyes and the 24th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers to decide the championship in the

Blue Jackets hope for another dominating effort vs. Red Wings >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Blue Jackets' current winning streak began with a big victory over Detroit a week ago. Playoff-hopeful Columbus will try to extend that run to five games with another win over the Red Wings this evening at Nationwide Aren

Pacers, Raptors square off in Toronto >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If the Indiana Pacers hope to make a run at the Eastern Conference's final playoff spot, they need to start handling their business better on the road. The team will have an opportunity to do exactly that on Sunday afternoon

Blazers kick off road trip in Atlanta vs. Hawks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers take their push to win the NBA's Northwest Division to the deep south on Sunday when they open a key five-game road trip against the streaking Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. The Blazers, who are

Exhausted Heat face Sixers in Philly >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia 76ers hope to build on a raucous Spectrum finale on Sunday when they welcome the exhausted Miami Heat to the Wachovia Center. Thaddeus Young set a career-high in points in a second straight outing by drop

Pistons host Grizzlies at the Palace >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two days after their Hall of Fame owner passed away, the Detroit Pistons hope to continue their playoff push on Sunday when they welcome the reeling Memphis Grizzlies to The Palace at Auburn Hills. Bill Davidson, who pilot

Betting Football

NFL Football Betting Online

Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.